Medication vial anti-tipping

ABSTRACT

An anti-tip device for medicament vials having a top and a bottom. The anti-tip device includes a base member adapted and constructed to be selectively secured to the bottom of the vial. The base member has a shape whereby the base extends outwardly from the vial when the base member is secured to the bottom of the vial.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to devices for increasing thestability of containers for medications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The number of pharmaceuticals available to treat or prevent diseases andundesirable medical conditions increases dramatically with the passageof time. It is not uncommon for individuals to undertake courses oftreatment in which several medications are to be administeredsimultaneously. Sorting through multiple vials in a medicine cabinet canbe a difficult task, resulting in the tipping and spillage of thecontents. Further, individuals on multiple medications are apt to beweakened by their conditions, or elderly, and can have physicalmanifestations that reduce the ability to grasp a medicine containerwithout tipping either the container itself or surrounding containers.Many medications are extremely expensive. Thus, the loss of even a fewtablets due to spillage can place a serious burden on the patient.

Although the art provides no viable solution to the problem of medicalvial instability, anti-tipping devices are known in other, unrelatedcontexts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,080 to Harris is directed toan inverted bottle support having a bottle stopper and support basecomposed of composed of two separate components of a stopper and a base.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,908,473 to Snyder deals with a bottle support adaptedfor slipping on bottles and providing a base for the bottle so that whenit rests upon a suitable supporting object, the movement of the bottleon the supporting object and the tilting relatively thereto will beresisted.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,589,967 to Sawyer shows a drinking cup for babies andyoung children, the cup having a base with a dish-like structure havinga central upstanding annular flange defining a circular recess having aslight taper so as to receive the lower end of the cup member in aslight press-fit.

Other designs can be seen in U.S. Design Pat. No. D331,792 to Wilcox,U.S. Design Pat. No. D457,782 to Snell, and U.S. Design Pat. No.D474,404 to Tropeano.

It can thus be seen from the foregoing that the need exists for asimple, inexpensive apparatus to decrease the likelihood of tipping ofmedicament containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An anti-tip device for medicament vials having a top and a bottom. Theanti-tip device includes a base member adapted and constructed to beselectively secured to the bottom of the vial. The base member has ashape whereby the base extends outwardly from the vial when the basemember is secured to the bottom of the vial.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a medicament vial and base member in accordance withthe principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic sectional view of taken generally alonglines III-III of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic sectional view of another embodiment of abase member in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic plan view of another embodiment of a basemember in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a medicament vial 10 and a base member 12 inaccordance with the principles of the present invention. The vial 10 hasa top T and a bottom B. When the vial V is full of medication, such aspills P (FIGS. 2-3), the proportions of the vial render it relativelytop-heavy, and thus prone to tipping unexpectedly.

The base 12 is secured to the bottom B of the vial 10, for example, viaa press-fit, and extends outwardly from the vial 10. The proportions ofthe base 10 are such that it extends outwardly to a sufficient degree todecrease the likelihood of tipping of the vial 10. In the illustratedexample, the medicament vial 10 is generally cylindrical, and the basemember 12 is generally annular. The outer diameter of the medicamentvial 10 is less than the outer diameter of the base member 12.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the base member 12 has a generally angularcross-sectional outer contour, with a horizontal top surface 14, angledfront surface 16, and vertical face 18. The precise dimensions of thebase member 12 should be selected to maximize the stabilizing qualitiesof the base member. One particularly advantageous embodiment includes abase member configured to extend outwardly from the vial surfaceapproximately 5/16 inches, with a top surface of approximately 1/16inches and a front face of approximately 3/64 inches.

FIG. 3 illustrates a base member 20 having a generally roundedcross-sectional outer contour 22.

FIG. 4 illustrates a base member 24 having a front face 26 and an outerperiphery 28. A series of circumferential indents 30 are formed on theouter periphery 28 of the base member 24. The indents 30 reduce theamount of material in the base member 24, and provide grip surfaces toenhance the ease of handling of the base member 24 when secured to avial. It has been found that indents approximately 1/4″ wide, extendingapproximately 1/16″ into the front surface of the base member, andspaced approximately 3/16″ apart, provide particular advantage.

Indicia 32 can be provided on the front face 26 of the base member 24.The indicia can be formed integrally with the base member, or can bepainted or printed onto the base member. The indicia 32 can take theform of decoration, advertising, instructions, labeling, or any graphicform.

The base members of the present invention can be formed in any suitablemanner. The illustrated embodiments can be formed in a unitary piece,for example, by casting or molding from any suitable material. Suitablematerials include elastomeric materials such as HDPE, LDPE, polystyrene,and rubber.

Although the present invention has been described with reference tospecific embodiments, those of skill in the art will recognize thatchanges may be made thereto without departing from the scope and spiritof the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. An anti-tip device for medicament vials having a top and a bottom,the anti-tip device comprising a base member adapted and constructed tobe selectively secured to the bottom of the vial, the base member havinga shape whereby the base extends outwardly from the vial when the basemember is secured to the bottom of the vial.
 2. An anti-tip device inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the medicament vial is generallycylindrical, and the base member is generally annular.
 3. An anti-tipdevice in accordance with claim 2, wherein the medicament vial and thebase member have respective diameters, and the diameter of themedicament vial is less than the diameter of the base member.
 4. Ananti-tip device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the base member hasa generally angular cross-sectional outer contour.
 5. An anti-tip devicein accordance with claim 1, wherein the base member has a generallyrounded cross-sectional outer contour.
 6. An anti-tip device inaccordance with claim 1, further comprising at least one circumferentialindent on an outer periphery of the base member.
 7. An anti-tip devicein accordance with claim 6, further comprising a plurality ofcircumferential indents on the outer periphery of the base member.
 8. Ananti-tip device in accordance with claim 1, further comprising indiciaon an outer surface of the base member.
 9. An anti-tip device inaccordance with claim 1, wherein the base member is formed in a unitarypiece.
 11. An anti-tip device in accordance with claim 1, wherein thebase member is cast from an elastomeric material.
 12. An anti-tip devicein accordance with claim 1, wherein the base member is cast from amaterial selected from a group consisting of HDPE, LDPE, polystyrene,and rubber.